Harry And The Dream Of Horses
by Rita La Valerie
Summary: AU, no magic, during the 20s. Harry’s life is in a Circus and Draco has a beautiful smile. Harry Draco Slash
1. Secret Smile

**Title:** Harry And The Dream Of Horses

**Genre:** Slash, Romance

**Rating:** PG-13

**Summary:** AU, no magic, during the 20s. Harry's life is (in) a circus and Draco has a beautiful smile. Harry Draco Slash

**Disclaimer:** If Harry Potter characters were mine, there would be no epilogue in the last book and Harry, Hermione, Ron, Draco, and so on would be single so we could write really good Post-Hogwarts Fanfics with all sorts of pairings. Oh, yeah. And the title is inspired in the music "Judy And The Dream Of Horses" by Belle And Sebastian.

**Chp. 1 – ****Secret Smile**

_Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls!_

_Come and see, come and see!_

_Wild animals,_

_Magic,_

_Acrobatics_

_And our exclusive Freak Show. _

_This is the opportunity of a lifetime!_

_Weasley's Circus, tonight,_

_Come and see!_

It would be the first official performance of his life. They had been training for six years. Ron was five when he first rode a horse. Harry supposed he was five by that time, too. No one knew his real birthday but they always celebrated it at October 31st, the day when Molly found him in the year 1911. Now they were eleven, and Ginny was ten, and they would ride their horses to entertain a huge audience.

He was so nervous.

"Are you nervous, Harry?"

"No."

Ron shook his head. Harry was such a bad liar.

He kept caressing Lightning's back like it was the horse that was nervous. But Lightning was stronger than Harry, he was so brave… Harry always felt safer with his horse. He loved that black animal more than life itself, because he _lived_ more when he was ridding Lightning. Ron adored Torah and Ginny was always around Daisy, adorning her mane with flowers, but nothing could be compared with Harry's love for Lightning.

And the time has come, and they would finally show what they worth in front everyone inside that coloured tent.

He saw the lights changing through the curtain, a swirl of colours creating shapes on its red surface. Then the claps gave place to silence and the voice of the Master of Ceremonies, Arthur Weasley echoed on the microphone.

_And now, Ladies and Gentlemen, the equestrian act!_

They enter the arena. The audience applauds. Ron and Ginny smile their biggest smile and Harry knows he should be doing the same but he's suddenly in panic. Ron's horse has dark-brown hair and Lightning's is black. Molly thought it would look better if Ginny stood between them, since Daisy's hair is honey-coloured and Ginny is a girl, so she goes first.

Up!

Daisy's front legs are moving in the air and Harry knows that he's next. Don't look at the audience, he thought, but it was too late and he was already looking.

Down!

Harry and Ron bring their horses to the front. Harry was trying not to look to the audience but something catches his eye, something bright and shiny. A boy's hair. It was the lightest hair that Harry had ever seen and he can't stop looking at it. The boy was smiling, he was smiling so much and had such a happy smile that Harry feels like smiling, too. Suddenly, smile seemed like the best thing to do. He lifts his top hat and shouts to his horse.

Up!

Torah's and Lightning's legs are up in the air. Harry smiles uncontrollably. Ron looks oddly at him but is already smiling broadly, too.

Down!

They trot their horses around the arena and Harry looks at the boy again. The boy was already looking at him and smiling. Harry smiles back and everything seems fine.

When their performance ended, Molly came to them and kissed their foreheads. She was almost crying.

"I'm so proud of you!" she said and Ginny gave her a hug, already with watery eyes, too.

"We did well, didn't we, mom?"

"Yes, honey, you did." and then she enveloped them in a big embrace. Ron complained but Harry knew he liked to be squeezed between his mother's arms as much as Harry. "Now, you three go fix your hair and change into some clean clothes, you still have time."

Harry practically ran towards his caravan, where he, Ron, Ginny, Fred and George kept their clothes and slept. He needed to change quickly or Ginny would start yelling at him and Ron (they tried to put her in Madame Trelawney's caravan but the woman was always waking up screaming about Ginny's terrible death in a near future so they had to move her back again), and he also wanted to watch the rest of the show from the backstage and try to get some popcorn from Madame Rosmerta. She used a fake beard and everyone called her the Bearded Woman, but she was a beautiful woman when she took it off.

"You go first." Ron said. "She can't resist you."

"Don't be silly," Harry protested. "She's crazy about your 'baby-blue' eyes!"

"But… she's always messing with your 'adorable' hair and—"

"She loves your freckles!"

It was always the same talk. Every time they wanted to ask for some popcorn, they always discussed about who should go first. Sometimes Madame Rosmerta would bring the popcorn herself and mess with their hair, or they would go together and try to talk like the twins, but it never worked too well. The best method was definitely the puppy-eyes one.

But they didn't have to do anything that day, because Madame Rosmerta was already waiting for them in the backstage with popcorn and a big smile.

"You were wonderful, dears! Here you go, eat all the popcorn you want."

If every show night was like that, Harry couldn't wait for the next.

When the curtains opened again, Mr. Weasley presented the Twins' Magic Show. They were doing it since Grandpa Weasley's death, one year ago, and they were really good. Grandpa had taught them everything he knew, and they had invented some tricks as well. The adults were always delighted to see the younger ones performing like professionals, and they were very professional, indeed. They were even being trained to join Mr. Weasley and Flitwick on their clown performance.

The Delacour Sisters were also very appreciated, not only for their talents and grace in the trapeze, but also for their beauty. Henriette, Margot and Fleur had performed in their parents' circus, but when they died, Henriette lost the track of the business. Gabrielle was still a baby and they were alone in the world, so they decided to put everything they had in a big caravan and find another circus to host them. The Weasleys saw their talent and the sisters had been travelling with them since then.

"Their hair is so pale." Ron said for the thousandth time with an amazed expression.

"I've seen someone with paler hair, today." Harry said without thinking. Truth to be told, he hadn't stop thinking about the boy with the flaxen hair and the big smile, so the words were out of his mouth before he knew it.

"Really? A girl?"

"No, a boy."

Ron frowned slightly. "Where?"

"Seating there," he answered, pointing. "in the front."

Ron poked his head out of the curtains. "Yeah, I think I'm seeing him."

"You are?" and Harry found himself poking his head out of the curtains as well, searching for the boy.

He was there, between two blonds, probably his parents. His hair was shinning with the lights and his eyes were wide open. But his smile wasn't the same. It was a beautiful smile, but not quite the same.

"Must be a spoiled brat." Ron said with a disdainful tone.

Harry had to disagree. The boy was finely dressed, that's a fact, but his smile was so sincere, he looked so happy… Nothing like the other spoiled kids who cried when Charlie and the Lions were in the arena, or when their parents didn't give them more popcorn.

_He's not_.

- - -

One year passed. The circus travelled around the country and Ginny moved to a new caravan, which she would share with Gabrielle. They were training the little girl in the trapeze, and one day she would perform with her sisters, too. The twins were already performing as clowns and Harry, Ron and Ginny were even better with the horses and everybody loved them. Molly and Arthur were very proud of them. They also had a new member on their crew, the tallest man Harry had ever seen. His name was Hagrid, and he was really nice, despite his looks. He was a part of the Freak Show, along with the dwarf Flitwick, the Bearded Woman Madame Rosmerta, and the seer Madame Trelawney, who reads people's palms before the show.

When they arrived to their next destination, Harry recognized it immediately as the blond boy's village. He knew it sounded a little odd so he didn't dare to share his thoughts with anyone else, but they were with him all the time, even while waiting for Mr. Weasley to announce their performance.

And he was nervous again.

"Are you nervous, Harry?" Ron asked giving him a weird look. "You haven't been acting like that for a long time…"

"No."

But he was. He stopped petting Lightning, feeling rather self-conscious, and waited.

He could hear the gasps of awe coming from the public while Bill, Charlie and Percy breathed fire and had to take a look at it, not for the fire breathing but for the audience. He had to see if the boy was there or he would be even more nervous and that wasn't good.

As he searched for a signal of white-blond hair among the crowd, a thrill of excitement was running through his body. And there was the blond boy again.

He was different. Harry didn't know why he memorised the boy's face so well, but he knew that his features were pointier and his manners were very aristocratic. Standing there, he really looked like a spoiled brat, behaving himself just because his parents told him to do it.

"What are you doing?" Ron said, poking him in the arm.

"Nothing, just watching."

It wasn't a lie. He _was_ watching.

"Oh, come on, you've seen this for all your life!"

Harry didn't retort. He just came back to his place, standing next to Lightning, and waited for the call.

_Ladies and Gentlemen, I have the pleasure to present you the equestrian act!_

Harry enters the arena firstly and automatically spots the boy. He's looking at him like the other time, but he's not smiling as broadly as Harry remembered.

Up!

Harry stares at him without thinking about the consequences. He wants to see a smile on the boy's face! He's part of the audience and Harry's duty is to make the audience happy.

Down!

He will make the boy smile. He watches as Ginny smiles at Ron and Ron smiles back.

Up!

Sitting on Lightning's back, Harry looks down, locks his gaze with the other boy's and smiles in acknowledgement. The boy hesitates but smiles back and everything seems fine again.

Down!

The boy is still smiling that smile he used the year before and Harry can't stop looking at him. When they trot the horses around the arena, Harry knows he never felt so alive in his life.

He tries to blame it on Lightning.

Lately, the boys started to take their time with changing at the caravan, since they didn't have to share it with a girl anymore. Also, being a part of the show was enough to take all their energy to stand there and watch the rest, and the popcorn… well, they weren't children anymore, or at least it was what Ron had been saying for months.

"Do you remember the blond guy that we saw last year?" Ron asked and Harry felt his cheeks burning right away.

"Yes."

"He was there, I saw him looking at you."

"You did?" Harry's voice was throaty and he tried to blame it on puberty.

Ron ignored his question. "He must like Lightning, he's a beautiful horse. Rich kids always have horses."

"They do?"

"I think so."

Harry wanted to ask much more questions like how Ron knew that the boy was rich, but he restrained himself. He didn't want to sound too interested.

They got back and were more than happy to comply when Molly asked them to ride their horses at the ending parade. It was the best moment for the crew because the cheers from the public were synonym of mission accomplished: they had done their job well, once again. To Harry, Ron and Ginny it was a new and incredible sensation, one they would never forget. Except that Harry had a new and totally different emotion burning inside him each time his eyes caught a glimpse of light-blond hair and a beautiful smile and it was craved on his mind more deeply than any other memory. He just didn't know it, yet.

After that, Harry and Ron decided to go for a walk. It was a hot night of August and neither of them talked, opting to hear the voices of the people exiting the tent. Harry was thankful for that. He was trying to understand that thing inside him, that strange feeling that the boy would bring something new to his life, sooner or later. Only if he knew what…

"Can we come back tomorrow, mother?" asked a pleading voice and Harry automatically associated it with the blond boy, even without looking. And it was him.

"You're behaving yourself like a baby, Draco." said the severe voice of the man next to him. The boy locked his eyes on the ground, looking hurt, and Harry felt another unfamiliar sensation growing inside him, making him want to yell at the man for treating such an innocent creature like that. And Ron was looking at him as if saying 'I told you so' and Harry felt like yelling at him, too.

"Am not." The boy muttered under his breath, but Harry understood just as well.

_He's not_.

_**A/N:**__ Hope you liked it so far and if you have any spelling or grammar errors to point, be my guest. English is not my first language and it is perfectly natural if something is not entirely correct. Oh, and reviews are much appreciated! Thank you._


	2. Your Smile's a Drug

**Chp. 2 – Your Smile's a Drug**

Harry didn't know his last name until he was thirteen.

He thought he would never know it and never cared about it, because he was important at the circus and everybody loved him as Harry.

Fortunately, they also loved him as Harry Potter.

He didn't change just because he had a last name. However, he felt more confident and even happier when he found out that he had a godfather, someone who had been looking for him since the day his parents died and Molly found him, with his first name written on a blanket wrapped around his little body. His parents were dead but they loved him until the end of their lives. They died in a train wreck and the Weasleys saw everything from their caravan. Molly fainted and when she woke up, the first thing she heard had been the sound of a baby crying. She didn't rest until Arthur and Bill promised her that they would find the baby and bring him to her. When Molly rested her eyes in the little boy with black hair covered with dust and green eyes swollen with tears, she knew that she wouldn't be capable of leaving him there with the nurses that came to rescue the other survivors. He was an orphan and she could give him a family. There was always place for one more in the Weasley clan.

They waited for three days and three nights and no one came searching for little Harry, so they took him with them and he had been just their Harry for thirteen years.

Now he was Harry Potter and he had a godfather called Sirius Black.

Fortunately, Sirius was a good man and didn't try to take Harry with him. Harry didn't want to live anywhere but the circus. He wasn't a different boy just because he now knew his last name and his true birthday. But Sirius loved that nomad life as well so he decided to join them. He had a natural talent for business, just like Bill, and they bought two tigers and a chimp. Fred and George adopted the chimp, naming him Dobby, and taught him some tricks. Sirius learned to breathe fire and Bill became an official Tiger Tamer.

Life was better than ever.

But, of course, there was Wiltshire. And there was the village and the blond boy and the nervousness again.

Harry just wanted to understand why, but couldn't.

"Harry, are you nervous?" Sirius asked with a confused look. He had only seen Harry nervous when he had told him the truth about his biological parents.

"No."

"I think you are." he insisted. Harry never understood how Sirius knew him so well. Perhaps everybody knew him but only Sirius dared to question him. Sirius was a very brave man.

"Maybe."

"Uh, is your girlfriend out there?" he said, smirking a little. Ginny looked at him like he had sprouted a second head or something.

"What? NO! It's nothing Sirius, really."

And here Sirius decided not to question him anymore. Harry was thankful for that, since he really didn't know why he was so nervous. It had something to do with the village and the blond boy and a weird feeling in is stomach. He needed to see the boy before entering the arena, it had helped a lot last year.

He was so different. Harry was used to his own puberty changes but it came as a surprise because it had been one whole year and the boy was taller and even more pointy and aristocratic, if that was possible. His expression was calm and superior, he clapped gracefully at the right moments and his eyes wandered between the show and the audience, where a group of silly girls giggled every time Draco looked at them. The weird feeling in Harry's stomach intensified.

_Draco_.

His name had been stuck in Harry's mind since the day he heard the boy asking if he could come back to see the Sunday night's show. Harry felt even more uncomfortable while thinking about the feelings that had sprouted inside him towards the boy's father when he had acted with such hostile manners. Draco was nothing to Harry. Why was he giving him so much attention?

It wasn't right. Harry felt nauseated and couldn't tell if it was because of his incoherent actions or because of the half-smile that the boy gave to the giggly girls. The velvet of the red curtain felt too hot against his cheeks and he had to go back to his place on the backstage.

It had been the worst show of his life.

No, not the performance itself. He did well, all the audience loved it. Or at least, almost all the audience.

It was the boy again, spoiling his mood just because he didn't felt like smiling that year. He just locked his eyes on Harry the whole time and sneered like he was superior. Harry would have taken that sneer off of the boy's face with a punch if he could.

He liked the innocent and fascinated little boy better.

"Oh, where's your beautiful smile, dear?" Madame Rosmerta asked while they watched the audience leave. "Want some popcorn to cheer you up?"

"No, thanks."

He didn't need to be cheered up. He was great. He didn't have one single reason to be upset.

The boy passed by him and Harry waited for him to ask if he could come back the next day, like he did the year before. Nothing came out of the boy's mouth. But when he saw Harry watching him, his lips curled into a mischievous smile. Suddenly, the military collar of Harry's jacket felt too tight against his neck.

_What __do you want from me?_

Sunday night came and Harry wasn't feeling nervous anymore. The strange feeling in his stomach was there each time he thought about the boy's last smile, so different from the others but equally intense. But the nervousness was gone and Harry was content for that.

By the middle of the day, everyone quitted asking him what had happened the night before or even insinuating that something had happened at all. That grumpy Harry wasn't normal but they learned quickly that he wasn't very fond of sharing his deepest thoughts.

Again, Harry thanked the holly providence that kept everyone too busy to bother him.

He spent the whole day with Lightning and was much less moody. When they entered the arena and Harry scanned the audience, pleased with everyone's smiles, one bright head caught his eye. The light-blond hair was attached to the owner of the most beautiful smile Harry had ever seen, he admitted. The smile that he had most missed, even without acknowledging it.

But now he could sense the feeling of completion inside him, something completely new that made him want to stay there and watch the boy smile happily forever.

His parents weren't there, Harry could see. He was instead surrounded by giggly girls who smiled too much at him. But when he locked his bright eyes with Harry's, Harry could see that the smile wasn't for the girls. It was… for him. It had always been for him.

At the end of his performance, while trotting the horses around the arena, Harry couldn't help but look one more time at the boy. When that smile lightened up just for him, Harry felt an uncontrollable urge to do something and found himself lifting his top hat at him. The girls irrupted into even more giggles and the boy waved, suddenly looking shy.

Harry liked it.

"I didn't know you liked to flirt with the girls." Ron said in a teasing voice, smiling mischievously and looking at Harry from the corner of the eye.

"I don't."

"Those silly girls nearly fainted when you lifted your hat at them." Ginny spoke, sounding a little upset.

"That's because they're really silly." _It wasn't for them_.

Ginny seemed to be pleased with his answer.

_It was just for him_.

- - -

At fourteen, Ron had a new girlfriend practically in every village or city they stopped.

At fourteen, Harry had never kissed a girl.

Ron said that it was good, kissing. Ginny also seemed to like it because she was always talking about her boyfriends. Her parents never knew about all of them because she wasn't supposed to be with other boys without someone to escort her. Sometimes the Delacour sisters would go with her to the village and she would come back with a dreamy smile on her face and say she had a new love.

Harry had none.

Not that he wanted, he really didn't care about it. Lots of girls had tried to get his attention but he never felt anything for any of them. They were pretty, he knew that, but they were always giggling and smiling too much. They reminded him of the girls that were with Draco last year and he didn't like them.

Harry had Lightning and his friends and Sirius, he didn't need a kiss on the mouth from a girl he barely knew. That sounds kind of gross, doesn't it?

Wiltshire was warm that summer, with a pleasing breeze entering the tent and forming an almost invisible cloud of dust, which would be very visible in the skin when Harry and Lightning exited the arena. But Harry loved it nonetheless. There was something pleasurable in washing the dust away, removing the dirt from his feet, his hands, his face.

The circus had portable showers protected by curtains and a huge bath-tub made from wood, used by the Delacour sisters and sometimes Ginny. They gave bath to each other and Ron said they used bubbles to cover their bodies when they were inside the bath-tub. Harry had laughed at his disappointed expression and patted his back.

But that day, Harry felt like going to the river nearby, so he could swim while washing himself. It was much better than a cold shower or a hot bubble bath and he could be alone because Ron and Ginny were at the village.

He leaved his bag, shirt, shorts and shoes (he wasn't wearing drawers that day) on the grass near the tree where he had tied Lightning's reins, and making sure he was alone, dived in the cold water. The mud on the bottom caressed his toes and his hair covered his eyes, enfolding him in a comfortable darkness. The only sounds he could hear were the soft splashes of his hands against the surface and his own breathing.

He had needed that so much.

No one could tell but Harry was very nervous again. It was the day before the show and they were in Draco's village and Harry had thought about him a lot. He couldn't tell why but every time he saw a blonde head he would remember the boy and think that there was no blond like his. Nor smile.

The silence was broken by a few splashes on the water but when Harry opened his eyes, he saw nothing. Supposing it was something that fell from a tree, Harry went back to his thoughts. He wasn't prepared for the feel of something smooth beneath him, brushing his back and then disappearing.

He panicked. There was something in the river. Was it a monster? An enormous fish with gigantic teeth?

Another splashing sound behind him. Doing his best not to paralyse with fear, Harry turned around, only to find the boy that was anything but a monster. He had teeth, indeed, but they were white and perfect and he was showing them in his most beautiful and relaxed smile. Now Harry was paralysed for good.

The sound of a laugh, clear like the water of that river, awaked Harry from his reverie.

"Oh, you had to see your face, it was priceless!" the boy spoke. To Harry. The blond boy was speaking to Harry. And Harry didn't know what to say. "Uh, are you okay? I didn't scare you to death, did I?"

"Uh." Where was his voice? "No. No, you didn't scare me." So to speak.

"Liar. You looked like you had seen a ghost!"

_No, I saw you. And it wasn't the ghost of you that wanders in my mind almost every single day. It was you, the real you, smiling for me. Only me._ "Right."

The boy looked sheepishly at Harry and that was another expression that Harry wanted to take away from the boy's face because he looked so much better smiling.

"I'm sorry. It wasn't the best way to begin a relationship, I must say." Relationship? "I'm Draco Malfoy."

The boy offered his wet hand to Harry and after a moment staring at it – such long fingers and perfect nails – he took it. "Harry."

"Just Harry?"

Oh, right. "Harry Potter. I didn't know my last name until last year and I'm still getting used to it."

Draco made a face but smiled anyway. "That's odd. You have to tell me about it, someday."

Harry wanted to ask why he wanted to know such personal thing about him or when was 'someday' but ended up saying "Alright." and waiting for the boy to say something.

Anything.

"You're not much of a talker."

_I don't know what to say to you_. "It depends."

"Does my presence disturb you?"

_A lot_. "No."

"Good!" the boy was smiling again and that was disturbing in a pleasurable sort of way. "So, do you want to go for a walk with our horses?"

Why? Why did the boy want to go for a walk with him? "Yes." _I would love to_.

And he smiled again and Harry smiled back because he didn't need questions when everything seemed so simple when the boy smiled.

They walked side by side and Harry felt himself blushing violently when he noticed that they were both naked. He dressed quickly and only then he saw the white horse next to his own. It had the most ethereal beauty that Harry had ever seen in a horse.

"Oh, that's Pegasus, my horse." the boy spoke with a prideful grin. "Isn't he beautiful?"

"Yes," Harry said in awe. "Very."

"Yours is wonderful, too." and Draco was blushing, Harry noticed. "He inspired me to get mine."

"Really?" Harry didn't know if he should feel pleased or not. Didn't _he_ have inspired him as well as his horse?

"Yes, I mean, I had horses but I wanted one just for me, one that could do all those tricks that yours can, so father got me one."

Harry tried to ignore Ron's voice saying that this boy in front of him was a spoiled brat who had anything he wanted because his daddy was rich. Draco was trying to befriend him so he couldn't be so bad, could he?

"He can do tricks like Lightning?"

"I don't think any horse could do what yours does but Pegasus is pretty good. He was trained before but I tried to make him better." He then got closer to Harry's horse and caressed his mane. "Father says I have a natural talent with horses."

Harry looked at the boy's face, so calm and relaxed and thought it was beautiful. He didn't understand why but did he have to? He could stare at those blond locks for hours. They looked so soft and with the sunlight their brightness acquired a gorgeous golden touch.

"What?"

"Nothing." _Liar_. "So, are you going to show me how good you and your horse are or what?"

The boy smiled _that_ mischievous smile and Harry's heart skipped a beat. He would never get used to that smile.

"We can go for the Manor if you like."

The Manor? The boy's house was a manor? "I don't know… Don't you want to go to the circus? We could use the tent."

"Oh, come on!" the boy pleaded with an amused expression. "It's the least you could do for me. Father got me grounded last year because I ran away from home so I could see you again." _See you again. Me. See me again. Not the horse. Me_. "I mean… the equestrian show. And the rest… I suppose." Draco looked at the ground, blushing again. Harry liked it when he blushed. "So?"

"That's… uh. Fine, take me there."

"Follow me."

While Draco mounted the horse and looked back at him, smiling, Harry knew that he would follow him everywhere if he asked.

They entered by the back gates that leaded directly to the riding pitch and Harry followed Draco to the stables. The Malfoys had many horses, but Draco's was by far the most beautiful of them all. All his hair was pure white and his behaviour was as aristocratic as his owner's. And the blond was right, he really could do the tricks very well.

When Draco gestured at Harry to join him in the pitch, he didn't hesitate. They rode their horses for a while and Harry taught Draco some new tricks and shared some tips to improve the ones he already knew. He really liked when Draco smiled at him, that self-satisfied smile that made him feel warm inside.

"It's getting late." Draco said looking at his watch.

_I could stay here forever_. "I have to go."

"Right." He looked away and then at Harry again. "Do you want to meet me again tomorrow, by the river? We could go for a walk and then stop by the Manor and do something fun."

"With our horses?"

"Uh, yes, okay."

Harry nodded and smiled a bit. Tomorrow.

"Bye Harry."

"Bye."

Riding Lightning back to the circus, Harry thought about everything that happened that afternoon. Draco Malfoy, the blond rich boy whose smile filled Harry's thoughts without asking permission, had talked to him, tried to befriend him. He had been so nice to him. Why?

_What do you want from me?_

That night everyone asked where Harry had been and he said he had been swimming and that the wrinkles and the purple lips had disappeared on his way to the circus.

That night he had dreamt about wet blond hair and beautiful smiles and when they asked him why was he smiling so much by the morning, he just smiled even more and said he was going for a walk. Alone.

"Where do you want to go?"

"Where do you want to take me?"

Draco smiled and gestured at Harry to follow him. They rode their horses for several minutes without exchanging a word but that was not bad. And Harry was afraid he couldn't say anything understandable because he wasn't much of a talker around Draco, so it was okay.

They were going in the direction of the Manor but entered by another gate, which leaded them to a beautiful garden full of tall, leafy trees and wild flowers.

"Wait here," Draco asked, pointing at a bench under the biggest tree. "I'll be right back."

Harry tensed. He didn't want to be there alone. What if someone showed up, what would he do? A look at Draco's reassuring eyes calmed him a little and he nodded.

When Draco came back he had two bowls filled with ice cream and two silver spoons.

"Ice Cream?" Harry loved ice cream.

"It's not as good as popcorn but it's still very good." Draco said with a shy smile.

"You prefer popcorn over this?"

"Yeah… I could eat popcorn all day."

Harry made a mental note not to forget to bring some popcorn, next time.

Next time… When would it be?

"So, do you like it?"

"What?" Harry barely heard what Draco had said. "Oh, the ice cream? I love it. Chocolate is my favourite."

"Good."

Another moment of comfortable silence. Harry wanted to look at Draco's face, try to tell what was he thinking, but couldn't get himself to do it. So he fell deeply in thought.

"Why did you bring me here?" Harry asked after a really weird thought passed through is mind. "I mean, the garden and the ice cream… It sounds like something you would do with a girl."

Draco tensed and looked away, blushing. Harry tried not to look, but simply couldn't. "I don't like to do these things to girls. They're silly."

_I couldn't agree more_. "Oh, they can't be all that bad."

"They are. At least the ones I know. Do you know any girl who's not silly, Harry?"

"I suppose… Ginny, the girl who does de equestrian act with me and her brother."

Harry had some doubts about this, recently, but she was like a sister to him and he couldn't call her silly.

"Do you like her?" Draco asked with a face Harry didn't like.

"Yes." Harry answered. Of course he liked Ginny.

"Is she your girlfriend, then?"

_Oh._ "No! I—" _Never had a girlfriend_. "—don't have a girlfriend."

"Me neither." And Draco was smiling again and as always, everything was fine.

At night, Harry didn't even try to deny his interest in seeing Draco before his performance. It had felt a lot better when he knew that the boy was there, even though he was smiling at a bunch of girls. That particular fact didn't feel good. But that wasn't _the_ smile, anyway. Harry knew that that wasn't the one for… him. Yes, the one for Harry.

During the show, Draco kept his aristocratic manners and didn't smile too much. Harry didn't understand why but tried his best to get a true smile from him. In the end of the equestrian act, the smile came, a small but true one. Draco made a face like he was sneaking out or something and them smiled, looking down practically one second later to then return to his previous posture. And then Harry understood that the one thing he needed the most in that village wasn't the audience's applause but the boy's smile. It felt wrong, but it had to be right.

Sunday night show. He was there again, without his parents this time, surrounded by boys and girls of his age. A pug-faced girl was smiling cooingly at him and Harry felt nauseated. She had to be the silliest girl he had ever seen.

During all the show, Harry couldn't stop looking through the curtains. At some point, Draco noticed and smirked at him. Harry's cheeks turned red and he blamed it on the embarrassment, knowing in the depths of his mind that the smirk had had something to do with that, for sure. It was that mischievous expression, so different but so strong. Harry wished he wasn't dressed in that tight jacket again.

During the equestrian act Draco smiled all the time and Harry made a mental note to ask him why he hadn't smiled like that, the day before. He sure knew why he smiled like that, now. His love for horses was visible. Harry felt some strange grip on his chest, thinking back about the times when he thought that the smiles were all for him.

But maybe they were. There were times when they had to be for him, like when they first talked or when they had agreed that most girls were silly, indeed.

So he smiled. He smiled at Draco all the time and the silly girls giggled and when Ginny looked at him and rolled her eyes he smiled at her, too.

"Do you have any, uh, special interest on my sister?" Ron asked out of the blue. Harry stared at him with a quizzical look. "Oh, come on, you were smiling like a loon!"

"I wasn't smiling at Ginny." _It wasn't for her_.

Ron just shook his head and smiled. He knew better than try to get something from Harry when he didn't want it.

_It was just for him_.

_**A/N:**__ Well, here is the second chapter. I hope you liked it and if you find some spelling or grammar errors, please report them; I'll make sure to correct them as soon as I can. Oh, and please leave a review and tell me what you think about this story. Thank you._

_P.S.: The next chapter will have some serious developments, I assure you. Harry and Draco will be 15 and __then 16 so you get the picture. Oh, and the first part of that chapter is already complete._


	3. The Shadow Of Your Smile

**Chp. 3**** – The Shadow Of Your Smile**

_Dear Draco,_

_I hope you've been__ receiving my letters and that everything is going well in your life. My life at the Circus has been fun, though sometimes the villages aren't as beautiful as yours. I miss the river and the fresh air. We've been at London, last week and the air was heavy and filthy. But for some reason that transcends me, I like that city. It's full of people and the streets are like our Circus, where artists perform and people applaud. Someday I'll learn how to breathe fire and join the Weasleys and my godfather. They always do a street act when we're at London._

_The equestrian act has been much appreciated, as always. Lightning, Torah and Daisy got some new adornments, __blue and shiny. Lightning seems to like it and so do I. He already tries to tickle me with the plums! Sometimes he acts like a real person, trying to cheer me up. I wish he could talk so I would have an answer when I pour my heart out for him and the only reaction I get is a tickle of a plum._

_Ron met a lovely young girl from London and apparently can't forget her. Her name is Hermione Granger and she's the smartest girl I've ever met. And she's not silly, which makes sense if you look at Ron's dreamy look when he talks about her. She really trapped his heart and I'm happy that he quitted of fooling around for the love of his beloved maiden. As for Ginny, she has been acting very strangely around me lately, and Ron says that she is secretly in love with me, but that's stupid because I know her since she was a baby. It's like her being in love with Ron or the twins. It doesn't make sense._

_Also, I have good news. In a week I'll be in your village once again! Finally I'll have the responses for all these letters I've been writing, I hope. It's a pity that I can't receive mail but this way we'll have much more to talk about. See you next week._

_Love,_

_Harry_

Harry had been writing to Draco since the last time they met as Draco asked him to do it.

"Wiltshire is unbelievably boring when you—I mean, the Circus is not around. I need some news to distract me besides the newspaper and the radio."

Harry wrote when he felt like it or when he had some special news, one, two, sometimes three times a month. Draco never answered because the Circus had no address, but Harry knew that the boy had read all his letters because he said he would with that dazzling smile and Harry believed it, of course.

But now he was on his way to the boy's village and he just couldn't wait to see his friend. He was so excited that everybody in the Circus had been asking him for days what had happened.

"Nothing." he always answered and that was true because nothing had happened. But it would.

It did.

"I—I missed this river." _I missed you_.

"Well, I missed the circus, too." and he smiled shyly while the sun reflected on his fair hair. Harry couldn't stop looking at it, the smile and the hair and the eyes. Looking closely, close enough to see that they were of an almost unnatural light-grey, Harry thought they were beautiful. Almost has hypnotizing as his smile, but not quite. And has the number of times that Draco smiled decreased, Harry felt himself craving even more for it and he simply couldn't explain why. He just wanted to ask what had happened to that little boy who was always with a happy smile upon his face, where was he, after all these years. It looked like he faded away.

"Hey, Harry? What are you thinking about?"

_You_. "Nothing."

"No one thinks of nothing." Draco said petulantly, gazing at Harry with an annoyed expression. Harry felt like doing something to take it off of his face.

"Well, I do." and, instinctively, he threw water at Draco's face. The annoyed expression intensified, turning into anger, and then changing into something completely different. The smirk. That one which made Harry's legs feel like jelly, his heart beat faster and his cheeks flush. He could deal with a normal smile because they were beautiful and endearing, but they only made him feel warm inside. That one, so mischievous but equally… attractive, made him feel _burning_ inside. And Harry wasn't used to that.

Harry also wasn't expecting it when he found his head being forced into the water by two strong hands.

He tried to fight the grip, moving uncoordinatedly and making a clumsy attempt to push the hands away but none worked. He then tried to pull Draco into the water with him, grasping his bare shoulders and forcing the other boy to dive. When he accomplished his plan and felt the grip of Draco's hands on the top of his head loosening, Harry finally emerged from the water, gasping for air. Draco managed to put his head out of the water, too and was breathing deeply with his mouth slightly open.

Harry should have known that it wasn't the best idea to look at Draco's mouth. He just had the habit of doing it, like something instinctive. He did it all the time in the search of a smile.

Not of rosy lips slightly parted, darkened and shining from the contact with the water, looking like something that held the promise of being the tastiest thing in the world. Better than popcorn, strawberry lollipop or even ice cream. He really should have known better than look at it.

"You can let go of my shoulders, now." Draco spoke in a breathless voice, awaking Harry from his reverie.

"Sorry. Just… don't try to kill me, again. I'll come back to haunt you until the last day of your life." Harry sounded much less threatening than he wanted to.

"I would never kill you, Harry."

Only if death sounded so sweet.

The sun was falling, tingeing the sky in different shades of orange and pink. It was so exquisite. But that coloured light incising on Draco's pale complexion was more. Harry felt ugly next to his friend but not even once he wished to look like him. It was all Draco's. It matched his mysterious personality, full of incomprehensible things like the way he acted sometimes or the things he said. Even his more pointy facial features matched his haughty behaviour. Not that he acted aristocratically around Harry much, but when he did, it matched him as well as the sweet smiling boy. Harry was just fonder of the last one.

"How's Ron's sweetheart going?" Draco asked with a mocking tone of voice.

"I don't know about her, but Ron is head over heels in love. He just can't stop talking about her and how beautiful and smart she is. I guess it will be very difficult to take him out of London, next time we go there."

"It hurts to know you love someone who's far away from you."

Harry noticed the seriousness of Draco's statement and gazed at him, but Draco was looking at the river and playing with the grass with his fingers. He decided to stay quiet.

"And you?" Harry looked at Draco who was now looking at him intently. He felt his cheeks flush for some reason he couldn't define.

"What?" he asked, confused. He hadn't understood the question but now he didn't even remember what it was.

"Don't you have a love life or something? You always talked about Ron and Ginny and even your godfather in your letters, but never about you."

Harry's slightly flushed cheeks turned a dark shade of pink. "No, I don't."

Harry tried to see the expression on Draco's face but couldn't. He had turned is head to the opposite side.

"Why are you so sulky today?" Draco asked the next day, at the same spot.

"Am not."

"Yes you are. I haven't seen a smile on your face all day."

_Neither did I, yesterday night_. "Why were you acting like that, yesterday?"

Draco looked confused. "What did I do?"

_More what you didn't do_. "You acted like a spoiled brat, that's what."

Draco opened and closed his mouth many times, looking very outraged and then angry. Harry felt a pang in his heart for knowing that it was because of him. But Draco deserved it.

"Is it because of the drowning incident? You already know I wasn't trying to kill you!"

"What? No, it's not that." Harry felt ridiculous. His thoughts were ridiculous. That thing he felt the day before was ridiculous. "During the show. You never smiled."

It was true. He had done like when they were thirteen and Harry had felt like crap, once again.

"Oh." Draco avoided his gaze and seemed to be a little bothered with something that Harry couldn't define. "I'm expected to act like that." he finally answered and Harry still didn't understand.

"Why?"

"I'm a Malfoy. I have to keep my posture." he said calmly, even though his eyes – Harry could see, now – were denouncing the tumult going on his mind.

"You can't smile?" Harry asked in disbelief, noticing that his voice was almost a whisper because he wasn't ready to believe that someone had to act under such strict rules.

"Only on the right moments." After a pause, he added "At least when my father is around."

"Uh." Harry was at a loss for words. "Sorry, I didn't—"

"Don't. My father is not around often. I'm happy with what I can have. Or almost. But that doesn't matter, anyway."

Harry didn't like to see Draco so down. He was trying to act tough but Harry could sense that he was still upset so he changed the subject to something safer.

"Ginny said she wants to talk with me after tonight's show." Seeing Draco's quizzing look he added "In private."

"Oh. About what?"

"I don't know. Ron thinks she wants to kiss me." Harry said and his cheeks turned pink for his exasperation. He always felt embarrassed when the subject was kissing girls.

"Will you—I mean, are you going to—to do it? Kiss her." Draco was babbling. Draco never babbled.

"I don't know. I've never… been kissed before. I guess I just want to know what it feels like."

Draco just hummed and didn't smile for the rest of the afternoon.

That night, at the Sunday night's show, Harry spend a considerable amount of time looking at Draco through the red curtains. He was, Harry noticed, always surrounded by girls and his parents were nowhere to be seen. They had already been there, the day before, and the teenagers used the second night as an opportunity to go out until late without the supervision of an adult. The girls in particular used it to behave improperly, Harry thought, always throwing themselves at boys, especially Draco, without any shame. Next to them, Charlie's lioness was a lady, letting the two males fight for her while she watched, calm and composed.

The pug-faced girl was there again, with her cooing smiles and battering eyelashes. Harry thought it was disgusting and was relieved to notice that Draco didn't look much enthusiastic. He looked, in fact, a little upset or maybe nervous with something. Harry understood – he would be nervous, too, if he had such a silly girl almost sitting on his lap.

During the equestrian act, Harry tried to make Draco smile, and was being successful, until that same girl said something on Draco's ear. The boy's first reaction was staring at her with a murderous look. Harry felt suddenly very angry with the girl and waited to see Draco's reaction, almost distracting Lightning on his task. Surprisingly, Draco looked down and when he looked up again, he had put on his aristocratic mask. Harry couldn't be more upset at that moment. And all because of that girl. How he hated her!

"Harry?"

Harry stopped with his hand on the knob of his caravan's door and turned around to find Draco standing in front of him.

"Oh, hello Draco." Draco nodded at him and they stood there for a moment, staring at each other. "Shouldn't you be watching the show?"

"I got bored. And Pansy was annoying me."

"Oh." Harry said, not trusting himself to say something about that girl. He smiled instead.

"Is that your caravan?"

"Yes. Do you want to come in?"

Okay, so Harry was waiting for Ginny because Ron told him that she was coming soon but Draco was his friend and he really wanted to show him his caravan. And besides, Draco was bored and had paid to be entertained that night so Harry had to make sure he had some fun.

If only that wasn't the crappiest excuse that Harry had ever told to himself.

"Wow. It's much homier than I thought." Draco said in awe. "Do you like to sleep in here with the other boys?"

"Of course. Wouldn't have it any other way."

A moment of silence passed while Draco scanned the surroundings and then settled his gaze on Harry.

"When are you going to kiss her?"

Harry blushed and looked at the floor. "When she comes back from her caravan, I think."

Draco's eyes were unreadable and he kept talking in an emotionless tone of voice. "Do you have any feelings for her?"

"I don't think so, but… Ron said it was just a kiss."

"You only want a kiss?" Draco asked and Harry was forced to look at him because the voice was closer than Harry thought. So was Draco. He was very close.

"Y-Yes." Harry stammered and was startled with the feeling of a hand on his cheek. "Do I have something on my face?"

"No." Draco answered almost in a whisper, and Harry felt the word against his lips because then Draco kissed him. Just a chaste kiss, lips moving against lips, but a kiss nonetheless. Draco's lips felt as soft as they looked and Harry wanted to taste them, too, but didn't dare. When Draco pulled back, sending shivers through Harry's spine, his cheeks had turned the most adorable shade of pink and Harry just wanted to touch them. But then Draco took several steps back and was standing near the door.

"You have the kiss that you wanted. Now you don't have to kiss that girl." he said before opening the door and walk away.

Ginny forgotten – she had disappeared from Harry's mind as soon as his lips touched Draco's – Harry ran to catch him and say something, anything, but apparently he had been very slow in coming back to his senses because Draco was nowhere to be seen. Neither than night nor in the following days.

_But t__hat was exactly what I wanted_.

- - -

_Dear Draco,_

_I am sorry for the lack of news from my part, but I have been busy lately. Percy abandoned the Circus in favour of working in London – devastating his mother, unfortunately – and a friend of Sirius got sick so he decided to take care of him__ for a while, leaving his place as fire breather. Bill and Charlie had to teach me and Ron to do it and so we have been pretty occupied with the two performances. It has been fun, but very extenuating._

_Also, I am happy to inform you in first hand that we have new numbers for our show. Two twin contortionists, the Patil Sisters, and a Serpent Tamer, Dean Thomas, joined the circus and they have been a big success so far. Dean has also been having success with Ginny, and I can say that she got over me pretty fast, for what I'm not complaining, I assure you. As for Ron and his beloved Hermione, they did go out together the last time we went to London, but nothing more than an innocent conversation happened. It was enough to put Ron smiling like a loon for days, though. I think he really is fond of her._

_To end this letter and without trying yet again to avoid the subject that has been consuming my mind for almost a year, I want to tell you that I've been thinking about what happened between us and that I want to talk to you as soon as the Circus arrives at your village. I profusely ask you to not run away from me, we really need to sort some things out and I don't want to loose your friendship. Until then, take care of you._

_Love,_

_Harry_

And that was the last letter that Harry had dared to write to Draco, even though many things had happened from that day to the day he arrived at the village once again.

Sirius was with them, as well as his friend Remus Lupin who was a writer. He joined the circus for the sake of his work, intending to get some inspiration from that nomad and somewhat extravagant lifestyle. Remus had been friend of Harry's parents, too, and Harry had enjoyed hearing him and Sirius talking about the pranks they played while kids on a snotty boy called Severus Snape. They all attended the same boarding school and Harry found himself wondering what it was like, to attend a normal school with normal teachers and learn things besides to write, read and calculate.

Bill and Fleur were engaged, against everyone's disbelief. Apparently they all thought that he would marry Henriette, who was his age or Margot who was only two years younger than him, not the young Fleur, with only nineteen years old. The only ones who seemed to support the relationship from the beginning were Sirius, Remus, Harry and Fleur's ten years old sister, Gabrielle. The little girl had started being part of the show and was now much more outgoing. Many adults found themselves being lectured by that young woman about the beauty of Bill and Fleur's relationship, and Harry found that quite amusing.

Percy never came back to the circus, but he did talk to his parents about his new life when the circus stopped by London once more. He was working on a bookshop and was very happy with that because all of his life, books had been his obsession. He also had a girlfriend, the shopkeeper's daughter, Penelope Clearwater. Molly and Arthur agreed that she was a lovely girl, and everything seemed to come in good terms between them and their son.

As for everyone else, Ginny was still dating Dean with some break-ups here and there, Ron kept on drooling over the thought of his beloved Hermione Granger and Harry couldn't forget his first and only kiss. With a boy. And Draco Malfoy, he's secret obsession since eleven years old, of all people. And now he had bubbling hormones and wet dreams and he couldn't talk about them with anyone because he wasn't expecting Ron to understand that they were fantastic dreams when there was a boy on the scene.

All in all, life was not that bad, just different.

Until the day when Harry found himself almost biting his nails off at the margin of that river.

Draco was supposed to show up at any minute. It was already four in the afternoon and the sun was bright, reflecting its rays on the water and reminding Harry that it was much more pleasurable to be swimming in the fresh water of the river than sitting on the grass with only the droplets of his own sweat to cool him down. Deciding to follow his instincts, Harry took off all his clothes and let the underside of his feet feel the temperature of the water. Cold, but not too freezing. Perfect. He walked a bit until the water reached his knees and then dived into that liquid tranquillity that refreshed his sleepy eyes – he hadn't slept, the night before – and filled his ears with the peaceful sounds.

Until something touched his foot and this time he knew that it was no monster. Though, at the moment, the thought of it was even scarier, accelerating the beating of his heart and making him wish he was a fish so he could stay underwater forever.

No such luck.

Coming back to the bright light and the sounds of birds and water, Harry found himself staring not at a monster but at an almost ethereal being. Pale, pale skin on a body that looked almost sculptured from marble, with translucent drops falling down a beautifully toned chest was the first thing that caught Harry's eye. Maybe because it was so beautiful, or maybe because he was afraid of looking into Draco's eyes. When he did it, he found his fears justified.

An ice cold gaze was coming from those surprisingly familiar grey eyes he had missed so much – at least those were just like Harry remembered, not a newly improved form of what they had been. Still the same grey, still the same shape. But they were cold. Harry wished he couldn't remember that look. It practically killed him.

The arousal wouldn't go away, though.

_Stupid hormones._

"Hello." Draco spoke first, catching Harry by surprise but keeping his expression as impassive as ever, not even flashing him a smile. Harry tried to push away the deception and rely on the fact that at least Draco was _there at all_. He was also very confused because hadn't it be Draco kissing him? Why was he being so cold?

"You came." Harry said when he found the strength to speak and those were the words on the tip of his tongue. _Draco came, Draco came, Draco—_

"I thought I was expected."

_I was afraid you wouldn't come, even though you were expected__, but now you came and—_ "Of course."

A long moment of awkward silence passed until Harry spoke again. "So… I—"

"We're not having serious conversations in the middle of a river. Or naked, for that matter."

Harry so didn't need to be reminded of his nakedness.

"Uh. Of course. What do you have in mind?"

"First, dress yourself," Draco spoke harshly as if Harry's naked body disturbed him very much. Maybe it did. "Then you can come with me to the manor's ridding pitch."

Harry nodded, waited for Draco to turn around and walked out of the water.

They rode their horses in silence, and Harry wondered what had happened to Draco. Things were different between them, obviously, but Draco had never been so cold. Not even after the kiss.

Oh, that was such a bad thought to have with the object of your affections walking right in front of you, looking so tidy and _perfect_ that no one would believe he had been ridding a horse just a few seconds ago. Even in the middle of a place full of dirt and straw, he looked like the ice prince he was meant to be.

"We can talk here, if you want." Draco spoke, awaking Harry from his thoughts. _Very improper thoughts_. "I don't think we'll be interrupted, since I'm basically the only person in the manor who uses the stables on a daily basis."

Harry just nodded, trying to find the strength to speak. His desires were suddenly very clear but the words failed him. He didn't know very much about romantic relationships but for all he knew, they were always between a boy and a girl. Two boys were made to play football together, speak with each other and on the extreme, love each other like brothers. They weren't supposed to kiss on the mouth and feel the aching need to touch the other in the most peculiar places.

"Harry, will you just say what you want, already?"

_You._ "I—I don't know." He said flatly, staring at the ground so his eyes wouldn't give him away. He was confused, he was tired because he hadn't slept at all the night before, and Draco hadn't smile even once. He needed that smile more than anything. If only Draco knew…

"You are such a bad liar."

Harry sighed. This wouldn't be easy if Draco kept on behaving himself as if he had a stone instead of a heart.

"Why are you doing this, Draco? Your father is not here, no one is here. It would be easier if you just stopped acting like we were strangers."

_Maybe you are a stranger to me, now_, Harry thought but his hope prohibited him from saying those words.

"Oh, so we have been _knowing each other_ for a week every year, for the last three years. That's a hell of a lot of time to know a person." Draco stated almost mater-of-factually, his voice full of sarcasm. "How can you be so sure that I haven't changed? How can _I_ know that _you_ are the same boy you were a year ago? TELL ME!"

"You're right, I'm not the same boy I was a year ago." Harry spoke calmly, startling even himself with his coolness. "But that's all because of you."

"What do you mean?" Draco asked, trying to look cold and nonchalant, but failing for the first time.

"I mean that I've been thinking about this—us. I mean that I realized that this is not just a… three year thing, and you know it."

Draco looked at him with a raised eyebrow as if saying 'how very eloquent of you', but Harry ignored him and just kept talking. Nothing would stop him, not now.

"I remember the little boy with the palest hair I had ever seen in my life, smiling and looking so content that it felt contagious. I remember when it got harder to make that boy smile. I remember when he snuck out just to see the show without his parents. I remember when he talked to me and invited me to go for a walk with him even when we had just met. I remember when he offered me ice cream as one does to a girl he wants to kiss. I remember when he kissed me." and here Harry was really surprised with himself because his voice hadn't failed. "Do you remember, Draco?"

Draco just stared at Harry, his cold mask slowly fading away and before Harry could react, Draco proceeded to show him just how well he remembered.

A second later, Harry found himself pressed against a straw bale, Draco's soft mouth crashing with his own. It felt much more awkward and violent than their first kiss, with Draco's nose pressing harshly against Harry's cheek and Draco's nails digging on his shoulder blades, that is until Draco decided to move his lips against Harry's.

Any pain caused by any other part of their bodies was quickly forgotten.

It was such a thrilling feeling, kiss someone, Harry decided, as he explored Draco's lips with his own. Flesh pressing against flesh, squeezing, trapping, licking… Harry decided that being licked full on the mouth was a fantastic sensation, too, and that licking back and hearing responsive moans, feeling then, even, was something he would be willing to do and repeat.

_Draco__, Draco, Draco_ he was chanting on his brain and he might have said it out loud, too because Draco stopped the kissing and licking and mumbled a "What?" against his ear, sending shivers through his spine, the same shivers Harry had felt when they first kissed.

"Draco." Harry said just because he felt like it, but Draco should have thought he was about to say something more significant because he pressed a finger against Harry's lips and whispered "Don't." before replacing said finger by his soft, _soft_ lips. Those lips that were made to smile. That smile that was only for him, for Harry.

Kissing was definitely a heavenly feeling, Harry thought, but better than that was the feel of Draco's beautiful smile against his mouth.

The next day, they kissed in the river and on the grass. The sun reflected its rays on Draco's wet hair and it was entrancing, but not more than Draco's smile against Harry's neck.

They kissed inside the caravan after Saturday night's show and later that night Ron asked Harry where he had got the love bites on his neck, smiling mischievously and beaming with proud. Harry just blushed and lied about a girl with short brown hair and brown eyes who definitely wasn't Pansy Parkinson, and Ron seemed satisfied enough with the answer.

Sirius wasn't so easy to fool, though.

"That new girlfriend of yours…"

"Yes?"

"She seems to be very… enthusiastic."

Harry was speechless, embarrassed and as red as a tomato, which was definitely not helping with his embarrassment.

"Oh, come on, Harry, I was a young boy, one day, you know."

Harry did know it. But he could bet that Sirius hadn't been a young boy who snogged other boys against straw, grass and walls.

"And I know perfectly well that young _girls_ have much more control over their hormones. As for boys…"

Or maybe Harry could just save his money and think about it later. Maybe.

_**N/A:**__ And this is it for now. I am so sorry that it took forever to complete this chapter but I was very busy at school. I don't know if this came out a bit rushed, but I just wanted it to sound insane, because the boys are a little insane, too. Also, I can assure you that the plot will thicken because the boys will come out of age and we all know that young men have responsibilities to fulfil. Oh, and maybe I'll try some straw-involved smut. Maybe. And don't forget, if you find any spelling or grammar mistakes, just warn me, okay? __**And reviews are much appreciated**__. Thank you._


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